Chapter 6: The Lady's Reinforcements

Despite hearing the shocking news from Baldwin, Gwynnis felt no surprise. Adultery, after all, was not a rarity in any era. The eye color was a telling clue. Purple eyes are exceedingly rare, likely a result of genetic mutation, appearing perhaps in one in tens of millions. This trait, however, might be hereditary.

Given that Gideon and Julianna were fraternal twins with different genetic information, it seemed implausible for such a rare eye color mutation to occur in both. Therefore, the logical conclusion was that they inherited this unique trait from the same parent. Baron Gwint Wintaling had grey eyes, as did Gwynnis, while Sofia's eyes were light blue. Suddenly having two children with purple eyes, Gwynnis leaned towards the third possibility.

Moreover, another piece of evidence supported his theory. Sofia was exceptionally beautiful, and so were her children – the boy strikingly handsome and the girl breathtakingly beautiful. The Baron was of average appearance; only thanks to his first wife's good looks were the genes slightly improved, making Gwynnis somewhat handsome but not comparable to the astonishing beauty of Gideon and Julianna. This led Gwynnis to boldly speculate that Sofia's lover, the probable father of these children, was a man with purple eyes of remarkable handsomeness.

A quick analysis suggested that the Baron might not be knowledgeable in genetics or biology, but a man's intuition in these matters can be keen. Sometimes, mere instinctual suspicion can be close to the truth.

Shaking off these thoughts as irrelevant, Gwynnis focused on the present. He realized two key facts: first, Sofia wanted him dead; second, Sofia couldn't overtly act against him within the castle, or she would have directly ordered the guards to seize and execute him, avoiding the need for the inn's incident and pretense in the room.

This implied that Sofia would resort to underhanded tactics, but how she would execute her plan was unknown. Another concern was her level of control over the castle and whether Baldwin was trustworthy.

"In the room, it wasn't convenient to say, but the Baron has decided you will inherit the title after him," Baldwin revealed. "When he was still lucid, he had me write a will, which he signed and then handed over to a priest for safekeeping."

Gwynnis inquired about the priest's location. Baldwin explained that there was only a chapel in the Baron's domain, but a church existed ten miles away at Handi Rivermouth. Two months prior, as a representative of the Baron, Baldwin had presented a gift to the church, and the priest agreed to safeguard the will.

Gwynnis nodded and asked if he could see the will. Baldwin informed him that only the priest had seen the will, but if all went well, the priest would officiate the ceremony to grant Gwynnis the title.

As they spoke, a maid brought in a simple breakfast: milk in a wooden cup, two slices of dark bread, and a small apple. Baldwin, seeing this, prepared to leave, allowing Gwynnis to eat and rest afterward. However, Gwynnis declined the kindness, expressing a desire to join the guards for breakfast in the courtyard, wanting to observe more of the castle since many things had changed during his absence.

He didn't even spare a second glance at the breakfast on the maid's tray. When Baldwin suggested that he rest first, Gwynnis replied, "There's no need for excess sleep while alive; death brings eternal rest." Afterwards, Gwynnis, accompanied by Baldwin, joined the guards for breakfast and familiarized himself with them.

"I know you... You're the younger son of the Baron," one of the guards recognized Gwynnis. "Used to run around in the courtyard as a child. You've grown into a man now! Found any girl you like?" This led to a round of teasing among the guards.

Gwynnis smiled, withdrawing from the conversation, and asked Baldwin to show him around the castle. He inquired about the number of guards, their commander, and whether Lady Sofia had any additional armed forces at her disposal. His concern deepened when he learned that, recently, it was Sofia who had been handling the payroll for the guards on behalf of the bedridden Baron.

"Has my mother been managing the estate's finances since my father fell ill?" Gwynnis asked. Baldwin confirmed that all expenditures for the castle, manor, and other needs required Sofia's approval. He mentioned his own reduced responsibilities and contemplated retirement, hoping his inept son would take over his duties.

Gwynnis remained silent, continuing his tour of the castle. He suddenly inquired about the living quarters of the guards' families. Stepping outside, they looked down the hill to the Baron Wintaling's manor a few hundred meters away, where rows of houses nestled near vast fields. "That's where the guards' families live, along with the castle's servants, serfs, and tenant farmers," Baldwin explained.

As Gwynnis pondered, a small troop of horsemen rapidly approached the castle along the main road. "Who are those people?" Gwynnis asked, pointing at the rising dust. Even Baldwin was unsure of their identity.

They rushed to the castle as the alarm bell rang. The guards, in a panic, armed themselves and took positions on the tower, urging Gwynnis and Baldwin to come inside. "Who goes there? Answer!" the guards shouted from the tower.

Gwynnis ascended the tower with them, observing as the guards raised the drawbridge and questioned the newcomers. The eight horsemen, uniformly clad in chain mail and armed with iron swords, pointed to their banner.

Their banner, with a green background, bore a large golden tree with a thick trunk and a dense canopy - the Golden Tree.

"We come from the Duchy of Inverness, ordered to protect your lady. Open the gates!" they called out.

The guards exchanged puzzled glances and looked to Baldwin for guidance. Baldwin, equally perplexed, turned to Gwynnis for a decision.

Gwynnis assertively said, "Why look at me? I don't know them, don't let them in! Turn them away!"

The guards hesitated, uncertain of what to do without the Baron's command. It was a moment that required the Baron's leadership, but he was confined to his bed.

At that moment, Sofia and Gideon hurried from the direction of the main keep. "Open the gates! They are my people!" Sofia exclaimed.